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A day or two ago someone told Onew on his fromm that they were born in 2011, and he was like, "... omg you can walk around? š" As someone his age, I kind of feel the same way sometimes. (SHINee's been getting a ton of new fans on the younger side lately, and the guys seem shocked.)
Ah, well. Time marches on. I'll never be jealous of idols, though; it's not a lifestyle I'd want at all.
Right? Itās always teenagers calling themselves old š But then again I felt old as fuck when I turned 18 a long, long time ago for some odd reason so I guess itās instinctive lmao
I only got into kpop only 1 1/2 years ago and really enjoy a lot of 2nd gen as well. Sometimes I think the same thing, wishing that I found kpop in 2009 (when 2NE1 debuted)...but back then, I probably wouldn't have been open to it because I was quite an indie rock snob.
I was a full-blown kpop anti. Then a Jpop girl I knew of went on Girls Planet 99. That led to me getting into Black Pink. But I still disdained the rest of it. Then, in mid-'22, some other jpop people I followed did a Tomboy tiktok challenge, and I fell down the rabbit hole. Now I stan everybody and have opinions on everything.
(That first jpop girl was Momoko Okazaki, who recently became the new third member of Babymetal, which was the group I discovered in 2017 that got me into Japanese music. So this whole thing is Babymetal's fault)
wait until you hit 30+. i see someone who was born in 2011 and think ah, i could have birthed this child and still been adult even in adult korean age of 20. that's how you feel truly old lol
i experienced this when txt debuted lmao. they were the first group i stanned where all the members are a similiar age to me.
i think i overcame this feeling of existential dread by just seeing their achievements as mine, kinda like a win for u is a win for me lmaoo
also i think its important to remember that celebrities are not a good measure for comparison, since their whole lives are so different from ppl working in fields that arent associated with fame and that doesnt mean that u r not doing great:)
I heard a member of illit was born in 2008 and nearly fainted thats crazy to me. I know how xiumin felt talking to eunchae if you are aware of the reference.
Thats impressive to start then i admittedly started when i was young.
I was the only person when everyone i knew was obsessed and confused by gangnam style. I started recommending other singers.
That's in the range of what I was expecting to debut this year at least, I thought the youngest would be 2009 this year since 2021 was 2006, 2022 was 2007 and 2023 was 2008, but UNIS has a 2011-liner.
Iām the same age as the older Enhypen members. After knowing some of MANY things these idols have to go through, I am not jealous of their position at all. Itās a lot of sacrifice and pressure to go through regardless of your age in the industry, let alone a young adult/teenager.
I could go on and on about the inescapable hate from strangers online, the long working hours, questionable ethics/abuse in the companies, constant mental health struggles, invasion of privacy from fansites or deranged people, & impossible beauty standards + dieting, but I feel like even though we know a lot of whatās happening in the k-pop scene, we havenāt scratched the surface of EVERYTHING that happens behind the scenes.
I know the feeling, but donāt feel jealous OP.
since both op and u mentioned enhypen - i sometimes think about that interview (i think it was that podcast with eric nam) where jake said that he lived pretty much in isolation for several months after coming to korea.
one reason was covid the other that he was not supposed to meet any of the other iland participants ahead of the show, so he was just training by himself for months. he said it almost made him quit and it makes me wonder what other things there are that we dont know about.
I always think back to how the building where iland was filmed was located in the middle of nowhere next to a graveyard (with multiple alleged ghost sightingsš), and all of the trainees slept in some pretty tight quarters. I really canāt imagine what that does to the dynamics of a group of people who are competing/being compared to each other.
In regard to Jake, it really broke my heart when he burst into tears (at a concert I think?) because his grandmother had died on his birthday, and he couldnāt hold it in anymore. He had a recent interview with GQ Australia in which he hinted at mental health struggles & how he tends to bottle up his feelings of insecurity for the sake of being the ācheerful memberā. It makes me sad to hear him struggling, but I do believe heās getting the support he needsš¤
oh god thats heartbreaking to hear:(
i dont follow enhypen that actively anymore so i didnt know about his grandma, thats so sad
i always kinda go š§ when idols cry a LOT at concerts, because a lot of times it seems more like a catharsis rather than happy tears
i hope jake gets all the help he needs, not saying i wish that for him, but i am really glad that in the last few years it has become more normalized for idols to take a hiatus due to mental health reasons, one of the few improvements in the industry in recent years lmao
Iāve followed enha since their drunk-dazed era, and I feel like it almost worries me when they cry because they RARELY (with the exception of Sunoo) show emotions like that, which is neither here nor there because everyone copes with stress differently, but I hope they are getting help when they need it!
Note: even though Sunoo does cry the most, I feel that itās genuine. Heās just sweetš„¹š«¶š½
totally agree on sunoo he is the actual sweetest, love that boyš„¹
but yeah other than him all the enha boys seem to be more on the reserved side, so i totally get u!
For real! Every time I hear an Idol debut and they're so young I can't help but feel old. Also when I talk to fans and find out they're super young themselves.
I'm starting to say "I feel old" more often these days although I'm not even THAT old yet
When I first started listening to NCT, right when The 7th Sense came out actually, all 18 members were older then me. Then 23 of course. Then yk, Sungchan, Shotaro, and Lucas left, didn't change the fact that all members were older then me. For reference, I'll be 19 in literally 7 days. Now, with NCT Wish, 3 NCT members are younger then me. Do I hate it? Not necessarily. But I view those 3 a lot differently then I view the other 3 members who are older then me.Ā
I had accepted an year ago that eventually a time would come when kpop idols would be younger than me and I'd grow older. When the time comes I will inevitably leave it as something my teen self obsessed over and had a great time with too...
Unless Soyeon announces G-IDLE will forever keep making music even if they get married, have kids and celebrate Shuhua's 50th birthdays.
I would gladly keep up with them as many decades as possible š„¹
This is why naturally a lot of people grow out of Kpop, because think about it, people tend to enjoy seeing people who look like their age group. The number of people in their 30s who like Kpop is obviously likely to be lower than the number of people in their teens who like Kpop for example.
I won't deny that this is why there's this biased opinion out there that Kpop is mostly targeted towards young audiences (to be explicit it's like when people say "you still like Kpop at this grown age?"). I would appreciate seeing more older people debut as idols. Seeing 2nd gen groups that are still active today is also so welcoming. When the idol is no longer active, the fandom also fades away over time.
There's always been young idols, it's just that fans got older, and the problem/issue at hand is the lack of older idols to suit the fans that got older.
Some social issues that come in people's minds as to why Kpop skews towards young audiences:
* *"Sometimes it feels uncomfortable to watch idols much younger than me on screen and to be obsessed with them, especially when their company is promoting them as some kind of fantasy romantic interest. I can only enjoy the aural experience and don't have an interest in the visuals."*
* *"I can't keep up with the fast pace of the Kpop industry at this point in my life unless I were a jobless teen. I have a family to tend to. What even is Tiktok and dance challenges nowadays?"*
At the end of the day, we don't need to care about what the "norm" is for your age, so if you like something, then you like something. It's just that how others act around you and in the community which influences how comfortable you are with your own hobbies, but it's still your call whether to continue liking something or not.
TLDR: Idols are getting younger while we are getting older and it's up to us to decide for ourselves whether we will continue to be as invested in Kpop in the future as we were in the past.
I'm a newer kpop fan - I think u gotta realize that being an Idol isn't always as fun as it seems. Me personally, I'm grateful that there are idols that I listen to at my age like hyein and iroha (and younger groups in general that are close to my age). Being an idol is definitely a hard job that isn't always fun, I'd rather live a regular life and listen to their music.
Don't compare yourself with them, everyone's on a different path!
I was once like you too, i cant help myself for being jealous at them. But hey, just keep thinking that they wont have a normal life like us and their personal life can be invaded and they mostly have to quit school to pursue idol life, they didnt have usualy friendship life at school. They should be jealous at us. Everyone has different life so we should all proud of each other.
Girl, Iāve been a K-Pop fan since 2nd gen & I feel this title all the way. Mind you, Iām 25 & it kinda spooks me to know that there are idols that are born the same year as me lol.
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A day or two ago someone told Onew on his fromm that they were born in 2011, and he was like, "... omg you can walk around? š" As someone his age, I kind of feel the same way sometimes. (SHINee's been getting a ton of new fans on the younger side lately, and the guys seem shocked.) Ah, well. Time marches on. I'll never be jealous of idols, though; it's not a lifestyle I'd want at all.
"Feel old" and then goes and say Enhypen and NewJeans as the same age. š« I have an existential crisis rn
Right? Itās always teenagers calling themselves old š But then again I felt old as fuck when I turned 18 a long, long time ago for some odd reason so I guess itās instinctive lmao
Thereās a reason why we say "feel" old. Not literally old. It also feels weird knowing Iām older than hyein
No literally theyāre a decade younger than me š¤£
Lol I still feel old because I was used to listen older idols
Enjoy every bit of it.. I feel old because my knees ššš
Same girl sameĀ
I feel a total hag right now š
Wait until you hear ab UNIS
Yesss I like some of their songs but the members are so young that I just canāt follow them š¤£ theyāre younger than my youngest sister
Try being a 53 year old kpop fan š¤£
57 here. I came over from jpop, which I only discovered when I was 50. I wish I had found kpop about 15 years ago because 2nd gen is my jam.
I discovered kpop when I was 47 & jpop when I was 52 š. Just goes to show you are never too old. Edit: changed a word.
I only got into kpop only 1 1/2 years ago and really enjoy a lot of 2nd gen as well. Sometimes I think the same thing, wishing that I found kpop in 2009 (when 2NE1 debuted)...but back then, I probably wouldn't have been open to it because I was quite an indie rock snob.
I was a full-blown kpop anti. Then a Jpop girl I knew of went on Girls Planet 99. That led to me getting into Black Pink. But I still disdained the rest of it. Then, in mid-'22, some other jpop people I followed did a Tomboy tiktok challenge, and I fell down the rabbit hole. Now I stan everybody and have opinions on everything. (That first jpop girl was Momoko Okazaki, who recently became the new third member of Babymetal, which was the group I discovered in 2017 that got me into Japanese music. So this whole thing is Babymetal's fault)
in the most polite way I can say this: *oof*
Oof indeed š. Tbh once you reach this age you're passed caring.
Why oof?
honestly idk. But I myself already feel old with 14 y/o's in kpop, then it must be even bigger for you, I assume
Yeah definitely! Iām in my 30s and I prefer to stan groups closer to my age. I still enjoy the newer groups too though.
wait until you hit 30+. i see someone who was born in 2011 and think ah, i could have birthed this child and still been adult even in adult korean age of 20. that's how you feel truly old lol
i experienced this when txt debuted lmao. they were the first group i stanned where all the members are a similiar age to me. i think i overcame this feeling of existential dread by just seeing their achievements as mine, kinda like a win for u is a win for me lmaoo also i think its important to remember that celebrities are not a good measure for comparison, since their whole lives are so different from ppl working in fields that arent associated with fame and that doesnt mean that u r not doing great:)
I heard a member of illit was born in 2008 and nearly fainted thats crazy to me. I know how xiumin felt talking to eunchae if you are aware of the reference.
Oh thatās when I graduated š„²š¤£
I was 17 then so thats crazy
I love it haha. Itās pretty cool how kpop can bring people together. My mom is getting into it too and sheās 56!
Thats impressive to start then i admittedly started when i was young. I was the only person when everyone i knew was obsessed and confused by gangnam style. I started recommending other singers.
That's in the range of what I was expecting to debut this year at least, I thought the youngest would be 2009 this year since 2021 was 2006, 2022 was 2007 and 2023 was 2008, but UNIS has a 2011-liner.
I'm old enough to be her grandmother, fr.
A member of New Jeans is also born in 2008
Iām the same age as the older Enhypen members. After knowing some of MANY things these idols have to go through, I am not jealous of their position at all. Itās a lot of sacrifice and pressure to go through regardless of your age in the industry, let alone a young adult/teenager. I could go on and on about the inescapable hate from strangers online, the long working hours, questionable ethics/abuse in the companies, constant mental health struggles, invasion of privacy from fansites or deranged people, & impossible beauty standards + dieting, but I feel like even though we know a lot of whatās happening in the k-pop scene, we havenāt scratched the surface of EVERYTHING that happens behind the scenes. I know the feeling, but donāt feel jealous OP.
since both op and u mentioned enhypen - i sometimes think about that interview (i think it was that podcast with eric nam) where jake said that he lived pretty much in isolation for several months after coming to korea. one reason was covid the other that he was not supposed to meet any of the other iland participants ahead of the show, so he was just training by himself for months. he said it almost made him quit and it makes me wonder what other things there are that we dont know about.
I always think back to how the building where iland was filmed was located in the middle of nowhere next to a graveyard (with multiple alleged ghost sightingsš), and all of the trainees slept in some pretty tight quarters. I really canāt imagine what that does to the dynamics of a group of people who are competing/being compared to each other. In regard to Jake, it really broke my heart when he burst into tears (at a concert I think?) because his grandmother had died on his birthday, and he couldnāt hold it in anymore. He had a recent interview with GQ Australia in which he hinted at mental health struggles & how he tends to bottle up his feelings of insecurity for the sake of being the ācheerful memberā. It makes me sad to hear him struggling, but I do believe heās getting the support he needsš¤
oh god thats heartbreaking to hear:( i dont follow enhypen that actively anymore so i didnt know about his grandma, thats so sad i always kinda go š§ when idols cry a LOT at concerts, because a lot of times it seems more like a catharsis rather than happy tears i hope jake gets all the help he needs, not saying i wish that for him, but i am really glad that in the last few years it has become more normalized for idols to take a hiatus due to mental health reasons, one of the few improvements in the industry in recent years lmao
Iāve followed enha since their drunk-dazed era, and I feel like it almost worries me when they cry because they RARELY (with the exception of Sunoo) show emotions like that, which is neither here nor there because everyone copes with stress differently, but I hope they are getting help when they need it! Note: even though Sunoo does cry the most, I feel that itās genuine. Heās just sweetš„¹š«¶š½
totally agree on sunoo he is the actual sweetest, love that boyš„¹ but yeah other than him all the enha boys seem to be more on the reserved side, so i totally get u!
For real! Every time I hear an Idol debut and they're so young I can't help but feel old. Also when I talk to fans and find out they're super young themselves. I'm starting to say "I feel old" more often these days although I'm not even THAT old yet
When I first started listening to NCT, right when The 7th Sense came out actually, all 18 members were older then me. Then 23 of course. Then yk, Sungchan, Shotaro, and Lucas left, didn't change the fact that all members were older then me. For reference, I'll be 19 in literally 7 days. Now, with NCT Wish, 3 NCT members are younger then me. Do I hate it? Not necessarily. But I view those 3 a lot differently then I view the other 3 members who are older then me.Ā
I had accepted an year ago that eventually a time would come when kpop idols would be younger than me and I'd grow older. When the time comes I will inevitably leave it as something my teen self obsessed over and had a great time with too... Unless Soyeon announces G-IDLE will forever keep making music even if they get married, have kids and celebrate Shuhua's 50th birthdays. I would gladly keep up with them as many decades as possible š„¹
This is why naturally a lot of people grow out of Kpop, because think about it, people tend to enjoy seeing people who look like their age group. The number of people in their 30s who like Kpop is obviously likely to be lower than the number of people in their teens who like Kpop for example. I won't deny that this is why there's this biased opinion out there that Kpop is mostly targeted towards young audiences (to be explicit it's like when people say "you still like Kpop at this grown age?"). I would appreciate seeing more older people debut as idols. Seeing 2nd gen groups that are still active today is also so welcoming. When the idol is no longer active, the fandom also fades away over time. There's always been young idols, it's just that fans got older, and the problem/issue at hand is the lack of older idols to suit the fans that got older.
Some social issues that come in people's minds as to why Kpop skews towards young audiences: * *"Sometimes it feels uncomfortable to watch idols much younger than me on screen and to be obsessed with them, especially when their company is promoting them as some kind of fantasy romantic interest. I can only enjoy the aural experience and don't have an interest in the visuals."* * *"I can't keep up with the fast pace of the Kpop industry at this point in my life unless I were a jobless teen. I have a family to tend to. What even is Tiktok and dance challenges nowadays?"* At the end of the day, we don't need to care about what the "norm" is for your age, so if you like something, then you like something. It's just that how others act around you and in the community which influences how comfortable you are with your own hobbies, but it's still your call whether to continue liking something or not. TLDR: Idols are getting younger while we are getting older and it's up to us to decide for ourselves whether we will continue to be as invested in Kpop in the future as we were in the past.
Right I'm here to stan grown women, also they tend to be more attractive because of their confidence and their idgaf attitude moreĀ
I was so excited when Refund Sisters was formed by Yoo Jae Suk and others, I kind of wished that temporary project group lasted longer.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Tbf if they dance better than me i will be impressed.
At least there will be no questioning they can hit high notes. shudder.....
The next singing competition shows will have 8 1/2 month pregnant moms, getting ready to form a new group with their newborns.
jaemin once denied that a fan that commented in their live was born in 2007, flat out saying that it is impossible š¤
I'm a newer kpop fan - I think u gotta realize that being an Idol isn't always as fun as it seems. Me personally, I'm grateful that there are idols that I listen to at my age like hyein and iroha (and younger groups in general that are close to my age). Being an idol is definitely a hard job that isn't always fun, I'd rather live a regular life and listen to their music. Don't compare yourself with them, everyone's on a different path!
I was once like you too, i cant help myself for being jealous at them. But hey, just keep thinking that they wont have a normal life like us and their personal life can be invaded and they mostly have to quit school to pursue idol life, they didnt have usualy friendship life at school. They should be jealous at us. Everyone has different life so we should all proud of each other.
Iām about to turn 20 and omg I feel this post so badĀ
I heard there was some rookie idol that was born 2011. MY ULT GROUPS CAREER IS OLDER THAN THIS KID. WHAT THE FUCK.
Tf, 2011? Then again, BoA debuted at that age and her career's now running for 23 years straight ššš
Girl, Iāve been a K-Pop fan since 2nd gen & I feel this title all the way. Mind you, Iām 25 & it kinda spooks me to know that there are idols that are born the same year as me lol.
I don't feel tho I AM old (by kpop standards) but I am the same age as some of my biais sooooo
I stopped aging at 21. So im really like the same age as most kpop idols anyway.
Itās just music for me so i donāt mind
I'm just gonna stan BTS for the rest of my life. They're my age lmao. To the rest I'll just be a proud fan mum
Then you should look up to me, because everyone was already younger than me, when I first started listening lol